A Tribute To our Friend, Otto Fong

Tonight when I logged on to Fridae, I nearly fell off my chair. There, on the front page of the website was a familiar face. Evenmore startling was the headline under it: "Singapore teacher removes coming out blog under ministry pressure". For those who still don't know, Otto had started a blog with an open letter to Singaporeans pleading greater acceptance of gay people. In it, he said that he had always been gay and proud of it, that being in the closet all these years working as a teacher had stunted his personal growth as a living, loving human being, and that he hoped Singaporeans would see the current anti-gay crusade for what it is - a play for more political and moral influence by a small group of religious conservatives with hate in their hearts. I spent a good half hour reading the story and going to all the websites that had reproduced Otto's coming out letter. At the end of it, I was almost moved to tears - especially when I saw the many words of encouragement sent to Otto by his students.

"Dear Mr Fong, regardless of your sexuality, you'll still always be one of our greatest ever teachers," said one of the posts, penned by two of his students who hold leadership roles in school. "We as leaders under you for two years have seen how you set the foundation for us and pushed us forward. Where we are now, especially in our CCA leadership has come from you. We strongly believe that your teaching is too valuable to be compromised because of sexual orientation. RI can't lose this gem. We hope they don't."

I couldn't help but try to recall my impressions of Otto. I have only met him twice, at two BearProject movie outings. The first time I met him, he seemed reluctant to tell me what he did for a living and where he worked. There is a big gulf to traverse between that conversation(maybe two months ago) and his actions on Saturday, and this is why I find his public revelation doubly surprising and awe-inspiring.

There are two things I want to say about what Otto has done. The first is that his simple act of bravery stands in stark contrast to everything that the anti-gay movement is, and has been doing. People will bandy the most sophisticated-sounding scientific, legal, constitutional and moral arguments. They will cite all sorts of allegedly conclusive surveys and statistical studies. But these will always ring hollow against the honesty and sincerity of personal testimony. Let's not allow the moral bigots of the world to forget that. Gay people touch the lives of those around them in a very real way. We are open and direct, and give and receive love without prejudice or judgement. Like Otto, we should be proud of who we are and what we've done for ourselves, friends and family. Whether section 377A is repealed or not, they cannot take that away from us.

And we should strive to do even better each day to prove small-minded critics wrong.

The second thing I wanted to say was that after reading Otto's letter, I asked myself whether I would be brave enough to do the same thing. Can I even be bothered to do the same thing? I know the answer in my heart and I last felt that sort of discomfort as I watched Alfian Saat's last play "Asian Boys III". For it is somewhat true that as long as I have my partner with me, and we live happily with our friends going on holiday to Taipei and Tokyo, gymming at California Fitness and having loud, raucous dinners in HDB flats that we have either rented or bought after we turned 35, that there isn't any need to hanker after more acceptance in society. What can it achieve in the larger scheme of things? What about the hurt we might cause to our parents and those who love us, as well as our careers?

I don't know the answer to those questions. I think everyone's answer will necessarily be different and very few will be goaded into action like Otto was. I myself am out to my family, friends and colleagues, but I have stopped short of going public. Maybe one day I will, and I will draw my courage and inspiration from someone like Otto. For whatever happens next, he has made an indelible mark on the ongoing struggle for gay acceptance here in Singapore. We are moving slow, but every millimetre must surely count for something. And I have every hope in my heart that someday, we will get there.

P.S. I am writing to Bob Koh (headmaster@ri.sch.edu.sg), headmaster of Raffles Institution, tomorrow morning. And the next time I see you Otto, I am definitely buying you a drink!

- Rookcub

(Rookcub spoke & emailed me his reactions from the recent series of events that happened to our friend Otto. I think Otto deserves more than a pat on the back... So Otto, you too will have my utmost relentless support no matter what. - Asimov_22)

More from Fridae

(Cancelled) Grindhouse Marathon: Planet Terror & Death Proof - 21st Sept 07 (Friday)

Hahah... I guess marathons like these are not as popular, rather I think its the nature of the movies... Therefore its closed. (Anyways, the tickets are almost sold out too.)

Work up your guts guys, Golden Village presents "Grindhouse Marathon"! Robert Rodriquez's Planet Terror & Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof back-to-back screening is now on at GV Plaza Singapura. More details available at the GV website and the official Grindhouse website. Tickets are going at $21 per person but there is a free flow of popcorn and drinks. Tickets are snapping away fast so those who are interested please RSVP ASAP by 12th September (Wednesday). But guys, no promises cos right now the seats are already 1/2 occupied. I will update the ticket status by then to see if there are any tickets left.

Date: 21st Sept 07 (Friday)
Venue: GV, Plaza Singapura
Time: Marathon starts @ 9pm
Ticket Price: $21(Inclusive of free-flow popcorn & drinks)

Cheers, Asimov_22

Ratatouille (rat.a.too.ee) (7 September 2007, Friday)

Note that location has been changed to Orchard Cineleisure! Cos it has the Digital one :) Time has also been changed!

Bonjour les beaux gens!
Bien c'est finalement ici ! Je sais qu'alot de vous a demandé cette sortie ! :) C'est un de mon doit-voir-le film de l'année aussi ! Je deviner n'a pas besoin d'écrire trop de lui, donc est ici l'information :

Hello beautiful people!
Ok it's finally here! I know alot of you have been asking for this outing! :) It's one of my must-see-movie of the year too! Guess I don't need to write too much about it, so here's the info:


venue: Orchard Cineleisure
date: 7 Sep 2007, Friday
time: 9.30pm
dinner: 8pm, food court at basement

Bien, le signe de pls augmente le plus tôt possible, vous voir les gars à une autre grande sortie de film !
Ok, pls sign up asap, see you guys at another great movie outing!

vous voir bientôt
See you soon
Vitalauto

check out the official website

Hairspray (31st Aug 07, Friday)

Listing is closed! Sorry! Join us for Ratatouille!

We're capping total head-count @ 20, so those who want to watch it please let us know asap ok? Thanks...

"...a fizzy and delirious high-camp message-movie musical that may just turn out to be the happiest movie of the summer."
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

"...the best and most entertaining movie adaptation of a stage musical so far this century..." Lou Lumenick, New York Post

It's time to camp it out! Let's catch this movie together! A critically acclaimed remake of John Waters' original adaptation of the broadway hit. This should be really fun!

Ok so let us know early if you can make it! See you guys at the gay movie of the year!
Vitalauto

check out the official site

Arctic Tale (25th August 07, Saturday)

I wanna thank Timberman to help organize this event and to this generous friend who offered free tickets! Thanks bro... :) (So hopefully we'll have more free tickets in the future...? hehehe...)

Due to overwhelming response, the listing is closed :)
see you guys tomorrow at the ticketing counter! Be on time! Don't be LATE!

A very generous friend (not from here though, but a friend of Timberman's) is kind enough to sponsor screening tickets of the documentary, Artic Tale. Take note, this is a special screening. The film is only out in September! You can visit the website for more details here. Details are provided below:

Date: 25th August, 07
Time: 10am
Venue: GV, Hall 2, Tiong Bahru Plaza
Meeting location: Ticketing Counter
Lunch: At Tiong Bahru Market!

Timberman will be waiting at the ticketing counter to pass you the tickets if you have sign up to go. Listing will be closed by 23:59 Hrs 24th August so please sign up early if you're interested. :)

A Celestial Event!? (Lunar Eclipse @ 7pm-ish, 28th Aug)

Hey Astro-bears,

Apparently it has come to our attention (information was passed from a member, MnMs) that on the 28th August 2007, there will be a lunar eclipse. This is the 2nd eclipse that will happen in this year alone.

Here is a link from the NASA website, to understand better about the Lunar-eclipse happening on the day itself.

So people, MnMs is kind enough to head the astro-bears to experience this once in a lifetime event. (He'll be bringing his Telescope) He mentioned that any open area (preferably with little light-pollution) will be good enough to see it. He did suggest that either we can go to a multi-story car park thats facing the eastern side or East Coast Park. His concern is that people who don't drive might have difficulties getting to East Coast...

So please drop your suggestions so that we can come up with a compromise on locations and then gather up to watch it. How about that?

Updated: Dinner @ Straits Kitchen, Grand Hyatt (25th Aug 07, Saturday)

Well... I guess the food was yay-ok but the price is a little steep having to pay for local cuisines... But all in all I had fun! I guess the food tasted much better with the right company? No? Heheh... I'm glad you guys attended and hope you had fun. Expect the next makan session to be cheaper and food will be definitely nicer! Oh and I almost forgot... Finally gotta meet you in person XY! :) Cheers...
- asimov_22

Dear Fellow bears,

Finally the time has come for us to chomp, chomp and chomp! Since the beginning of the poll, I guess we couldn't have made the choices even more obvious *kekeke* that we "think" most of us would prefer Straits Kitchen, compared to the others. Well I voted for Kushin-bo actually... ANYWAYS... Here are the details:

Date: 25th August 2007, Saturday
Venue: Straits Kitchen, Grand Hyatt Singapore, 10 Scotts Road
Time: 7pm (have 15 mins grace... need to have 50% of ppl there by 7:15pm, so do be on time)
Per Pax: $40++ (Prices has changed, so expect it to be slightly more expensive)

Please RSVP by mid August, so that we can reserve appropriately with the Restaurant. We are capping head-counts at maximum 20-25, anything more than that will be scary! But of cos we can still book separately...

Back to Nature: Bears Go Cycling (19th Aug 07, Sun)

VitalAuto & I want to thank all who came for this event, especially those who arrived early, stood by and waited for the late-comers! I must say our logistics skills are not that great so do pardon us for the little mishaps and confusions.

I want to express our thanks to Sg_pup & his hubby for their relentless efforts for leading us the way around Ubin and other logistics stuff. If not for them, this trip would not have taken place.

Our thanks also goes out to SaltWetFish & Quest for helping us take some wonderful group pictures along the way. Also thanks to those who gave and showed support to VitalAuto for his cycling difficulties... *heheh*

Last but not least, I hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as I did for this is the 1st time I ever been to Ubin! *Swah-Ku right?* I will upload the pictures onto Flickr soon!

Once again thank you all!

yours sincerely,
asimov_22
& VitalAuto

Time to get our ass back to nature! A great suggestion from sg_pup that we should go for a Pulau Ubin Cycling Trip. He has also graciously agreed to be our guide on the trip.

Date: 19 August 07, Sunday
Time: 8:30am
Meet-up Venue: POSBank ATM beside the food center

Garage Sale @ 26 Geylang, Lorong 34! (CLOSED)

This garage sale has ended! The organizers want to thank those who went and look see look see... :)


Here are some of the highlights of the sale:


Hello Bears,

A friend of mine had asked for help to put it out there for their garage sale at the above mentioned address. There are lots of stuff to go, some items include plates, ceramics, ornaments, display racks and a very new 'Simmons' Mattress all willing to go at a low low price.

What: Garage Sale! (Yes its a PLU couple...)
When: 18 & 19 August, 07
Time: 1pm-6pm
Address: 26 Geylang, Lorong 34 (Its a white conservation house, with bamboos on both sides)

So if you have the time and want to look for some 2nd-hand bargains, do go and check it out! Any other questions, you can just post it under comments and the organizer will respond to your queries! :)

yours lovingly,
asimov_22

The Bourne Ultimatum (18 August, Sat, 7.10pm)

"Was another great installment to the Bourne Series! This is what thriller should be. Intelligent and engaging! Greengrass' direction is brilliant though the camera work could give you a headache! But it's exactly the hand held camera work, the closeup action and the urgent editing that made this such a gripping thriller! The car chase is one of the best i've ever seen! :) A Must Watch! even if it's only for Matt Damon, he's so handsome! He seems to get better looking as he gets older!" - vitalauto

"I totally agree with VA that Matt certainly looks yummier and yummier with age... *hahah* I really hated his twinky image in the past. Anyways, I haven't watched Bourne Identity 1 & 2, this one was something new for me. All in all, its not too bad though. The car chase and fighting scenes were well edited. I'm just not such a big fan of the Bourne trilogy but I think those who are should watch it loh. Thats all... " - asimov_22